Category: DIY

Holiday wreaths are an easy way to bring a lot cheer on the cheap to your home, and they make great gifts too!

I prefer them a little weird and wild (like most things in life), but you can use this technique for almost any material you choose.

And the only supplies you’ll need are a wire wreath form, paddle wire, and some snips. Easy peasy.

First up- grab yo’ greens! Do it in a park, and try not to look…awkward.

I chose noble fir, cedar, and seeded eucalyptus from the LA Flower Mart for around $3.50/bunch and used about 1/3 bunch per 12″ wreath. For the behemoth in that first photo, you’ll need around 2 bunches of everything.

You can also forage your greens in the wild or at your local tree lot/Home Depot, where they’ll usually give you the branches they cut off the bottoms of trees for free.

Now for some fun (and long lasting) accents- thistle, naked pepperberry, and red safari.

Make small and pleasing bunches of greens + accents.

Place your first bunch on your wreath form and use the paddle wire to secure it. No need to be pretty or too precious- just make sure it’s secure and DON’T cut your wire.

Lay down your next bunch directly below the first one, so that the top of your second bunch covers up your messy wires. Secure it in place and DON’T cut your paddle wire.
Rinse and repeat.

Ever since this paper flower tutorial I did for A Practical Wedding, I’ve been pretty hooked on using my Sprout to catalog new flowers as I work on various projects for clients. This red & whimsical collection comes to you courtesy of a sample centerpiece I did for an upcoming wedding. Aren’t those red charm peonies a dream? Seriously, even paper peonies are a dream.

I am obsessed with neon. OBSESSED I tell you. A few years ago I actually took a neon workshop so I could make my own neon, where I learned just how hard it is to get bendy glass to do what you want it to, while simultaneously holding it over a crazy flame and blowing (just the right amount) through a straw. How’s that for a mental picture, huh?

So when I was chatting with Maddie about my upcoming tutorials for APW and she asked if I’d ever heard of El Wire (Um, hello Tron. See also: Burning Man.) my brain immediately started thinking of all the ways to make El Wire cool. Not sci-fi cool. Not hippie cool. But simple, modern, youcouldkeepthisinyourhomepostwedding cool.

And, luckily for you (and me) faux neon doesn’t require any molten glass, mercury, or impressive mouth-to-glass skills. Head over to A Practical Wedding for the full tutorial.